Dog and Rooster Show
by Gumi Reloaded
Summary: Sano saves Eiji from a runaway dog, but as they talk, Eiji becomes suspicious of just who Sano is. Is this a one time meeting? Or does Sano have a new dog on his trail?


**Eiji**

In his short twenty-three years on this Earth, Eiji had thought of the many ways he could end up dead. Shooting was high up on that list. Random murder. Faulty elevators were a particular terror. However, being dragged into traffic by a hyperactive wolf hound who was _apparently afraid of roller blades_had not even occurred to him.

"HEEL, CHI! HEEL!" Eiji bellowed and then yelped as the dog went off the curb and so did he, nearly falling and then nearly being run over by a Mercedes that honked at him. Eiji didn't even have time to stop him as he was pulled onto another curb, howled, and continued to tear full speed down the sidewalk.

"Damnit I can't stop until you do!"

But Chi would hear none of it. Eiji once again tried to disentangle his hand from the leash but had to dodge a small flock of teenagers, a man with a sign board which nearly ended up in Eiji's face and two old ladies with handbags.

"Sorry!" Eiji called, trying to bow, trying to claw the leash from his wrist. And then they crested a long rolling hill, the bottom of which was a major intersection. Good thing Eiji's heart had left him somewhere under the Mercedes or he would had a heart attack.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

**Sanosuke**

Well, at least he hadn't gone out drinking last night. That was a step in the right direction. But he'd slept in a lot longer than he thought. It was afternoon. He guessed that was what three weeks of all drinking and only cat-napping did for guy. He'd slept fairly well, considering that in twelve whole hours, he'd only woken up with a start three times. Each time he was damp with cold sweat. Still couldn't get what happened out of his mind. It still stabbed at his heart, his emotions and his mind.

However, he knew that drowning himself in drink was a terrible way to honor those who had lost their lives. He still felt guilty for surviving. He still hated the government for what they did. He figured that he had to get himself out of whatever funk he'd put himself in. Exercise was always good for both the mind and body, and he'd let himself go the past three weeks. It was time to step back up to the plate, and get back in shape.

A jog on the local bike path that ran along the street near his apartment was as good as anything to get the lungs going and the blood pumping.

He was almost ready to cross to the other side of the arterial, near the bottom of a hill, when he heard a screaming expletive. Looking in the direction of the sound, he was incredulous to see a wolf hound pulling a dude on a roller blades. By the look of it, he was one very out of control dude and he was heading directly for Sano at a high rate of speed.

The ex op prepared himself to intercept the dynamic duo who seemed hell bent on capturing the man and dog downhill speed record.

He stepped to the side and waited until the dog just passed by him. Then he jumped into action, grabbing the dog's leash with his right hand and the dudes arm with his left hand, hoping he wouldn't injure the kid's arm. (The way Sano figured it, a broken arm was better than being run over by a truck.)

He then leaned back and began to swing the duo in a circle around him, redirecting their path of movement. Once he had them circling around him he began to slow them down until the boy and dog finally skidded to a halt, landing in a heap at the side of the street.

Dang, that was hard on his wrists. Sano rubbed his palms together to get rid of the numbness cause by his grip on the dog's leash and the kid's arm. He wiggled his fingers, shook his hands, and moved each arm around, windmill-style to get the circulation going again in his hands. Just like he did to restore the circulation in his cold hands when he was skiing.

The kid and dog were in quite a tangle.

"Hey, kid. You okay?"

**Eiji**

He was going to die. He was going to die. He was so going to die. Either being run over by a truck or pounded into the ground by that bruiser it looked like he was going to crash into.

"Mooaaaah!" Eiji yelped as a big hand grabbed arm and leash. And he was spinning, circling, tripping and sprawling on the grass. Chi yelped and Eiji found himself with a face full of licky wolf hound with the leash tangled around his legs.

"Aggh! Down, Chi! Sit! Heel!" He pushed the wolfhound away with both hands as the bruiser addressed him. Not a bruiser then, a savior.

"I'm good! Thanks to youghhh!" he ended up saying because Chi decided then was a really good time to give him a good lop across the lips. Uggh. Dog germs. Eiji scrubbed his face and said.

"SIT!"

Chi cocked his head but fortunately stopped his lick war.

"I'm okay," Eiji said. "Sorry about nearly bowling you over back there." Though judging from the brick wall nature of the man, the only one bowled over would have been Eiji.

**Sanosuke**

The ex op couldn't help but laugh heartily at the dog and kid, when he realized that neither looked seriously hurt. What a duo those two made. Dog looked like taking a few obedience classes would be a great idea.

Sano shuddered. Dog 'kisses' weren't his thing. His canine partners in the service were extremely well behaved compared to this mutt. But could anyone really expect a wolf hound to behave any differently?

"''So kay, kid. What were yah tryin' to do? Set the human/hound downhill speed record?"

**Eiji**

"No I was- SIT! Trying to -HEEL! Walk the _SIT!_"

Chi sat and gave Eiji a long mournful look as if Eiji had whacked him with a rolled up newspaper. _Don't tempt me, _Eiji thought at him before wrapping the leash around his wrist so he could take off his roller blades. Chi eyed him warily.

"I was trying to walk him. It's what I do. Well mostly. It pays the bills." Rollerblades off, he stood on the damp grass and bowed. "Thanks for saving my butt. My name is Mishima Eiji."

**Sanosuke**

Oh, so the kid walked dogs for extra pocket change. Not a bad gig, if you had a better dog. At least the kid wasn't responsible for the mutt's bad manners, that honor belonged to the owners.

Sano smiled, "Butt savin's what I do best, kid." Or *was* what I 'did' best, he thought darkly, as an image from the lab three weeks ago crossed his mind.

This kid was entertaining. It had been a while since Sano had found something to smile about, and a beast dragging a rollerblading, dog-walker downhill at break-neck speed just seemed to tickle the taller man's funny bone.

"Nice to meet you Eiji-san, I'm Sano," the tall man responded, holding his hand forward for a western-style hand shake.

**Eiji**

"Nice to meet you," Eiji said, taking his hand, even as he wondered... Sano? Just Sano? No last name? Was that even a first name? Where did he come from? Did he use one name to give himself an air of mystery? Or was he hiding something? Or did he just not like his name?

Buuut as the man had just saved him from being road kill; it was probably politer not to pepper him with questions that were none of Eiji's business. And in either case they were probably not secrets that would rock the very foundation of Japan. Though God knew Japan needed some foundation rocking.

"So uh...kind of a neat job there, butt saving," Eiji said with a grin. "I do reporting. So my butt is usually in need of saving. For some reason people only seem to like the news if it says nice things about them."

**Sanosuke**

Ah...a reporter...as in newspaper?

Hm. Sano was not only curious, he was glad he never gave his whole name to anyone he met on the street.

"So, you're a reporter, huh? Which rag do you write for?"

**Eiji**

"It's not a rag," he said, but lightly. He always hated that line. He put too much time and effort into that blasted thing to be any sort of rag. "It's a newspaper. Well, mostly online, but I put out copies around town sometimes when I can afford it. That's why I have to tug around these foul beasts," He said, scratching Chi's head.

"But I also babysit and do a little light housecleaning for old Lady Doi. She of the million cats." He observed "Sano" for a moment. _One _name? Really?

"And what do you do when you're not saving people?"

**Sanosuke**

Whoa, indignant little bugger wasn't he; like he had something to prove. So he didn't work for the New Meiji Times. Most papers were on-line these days. But there were some readers who liked doing things the old-fashioned way, and those people wanted to read printed material that they could hold in both their hands.

Sano just shook his head. The kid must have been pretty hard up if he had to switch between cats and dogs. The ex op bet that Eiji-kun would even be doing laundry before long.

'What do I do?' Sano asked himself. Good question. I drink. I gamble. I get drunk, but I don't lose much money. Well, that was what he'd done for the last three weeks. He was planning on turning things around this week, but that was no one's business except his own.

"Actually, I don't do much….in the way of work, that is."

Sano had to give the boy credit; he did seem to be industrious.

"So, how many employees does this paper have, and what sort of stories do you print?" For all Sano knew, the paper could be called, 'Newsweek, Dog and Cat Edition'.

**Eiji**

Not do much in the way of work? In New Meiji? How was he even surviving? It was all Eiji could do to keep his head above water during the best of times. This man was more than he looked, Eiji decided. He had to be. He was also hiding something. But- but whatever it was, well, that made no difference. At least not at the moment.

"Uh, just me at the moment. I'd like to hire more reporters to search the field but it's kinda hard when I barely make enough mula to not go out and get a "real job." He said the sarcastic line replete with finger-quotes. "Journalism is my job, and honest journalism, not the sensationalist crap that the major newspapers print. Government sycophants, each and every one of them. I print the truth." No matter the consequences.

**Sanosuke**

So the kid was loner and a freelancer. Didn't he even have a friend who could help him out on a reporting gig or two? He had a chip on his shoulder to boot.

Hm. Honest journalism, now there was an oxymoron. In Sano's mind "honest" and "journalism" never went hand in hand; honest journalism simply didn't exist.

_"I print the truth."_

"Those are bold words, kid, and they could get you into big trouble," Sano replied with a cautionary tone to his voice.

The kid was delusional if he was stupid enough to think he was printing the truth. Because if he *had* printed the truth, Sano was pretty confident that the youngster would have already felt the squeeze of Meiji's big hand around his skinny neck.

**Eiji**

"Yeah I bet they could. This new government would hide anything that's uncomfortable for them." Even the littlest things. It was all about saving face. Saving their own hides. Keeping the people in the dark so they wouldn't know any better that they were living a corrupt world- a cannibalistic world that would feed on them the moment they got in the way. This world would grind them in the gears and spit out their remains and call it good and for the progress of the nation.

"But, you know, it doesn't matter what they do to me." Okay well it mattered a big deal but he tried not to think about it. "I don't plan to go easy on anyone."

**Sanosuke**

"You got that right kid; they could. If you did manage to find out the truth. And since you are still alive, I personally doubt that you have..."

Sano shut his mouth at that. He wasn't about to reveal any truths to this brat. He refused to be responsible for the death of anyone else.

_"But, you know, it doesn't matter what they do to me."_

Those were big words coming out of a small mouth. If this guy couldn't even control a dog, how could he hope to survive, if someone decided to paint a bulls eye on him.

"Be careful what you wish for, or you might find yourself biting off more than you can chew," Sano warned, hoping he was making his message clear. The kid was probably too thick headed to recognize danger even if it was standing right in front of him.

This idiot had no idea of the kind of treachery that Meiji was capable of dishing out. This dog walker/cat sitter was way too naïve for his own good.

If he didn't wise up, he might be paying with something as precious as his life or the life of someone close to him, which was even worse in Sano's estimation.

**Eiji**

"You trying to tell me something, sir?" Eiji said, narrowing his eyes. Was this some sort of government dog? Was he trying to be helpful or was it a threat? He wasn't sure. He hadn't exactly been threatened before. Of course, his readership being so slim it wasn't too surprising.

"Honestly, even if I do bite off more than I can chew I'll keep chewing. I'll keep writing as close the truth as I can get. Even if I can open the eyes of just one person I'll keep writing, even if it's from a jail cell. If you back down from an enemy that's right in front of you, you really will lose everything."

After all, if both the truth and the lie would end up killing you at the end, it was better to die from fighting too hard then to be slaughtered like a mindless sheep.

**Sanosuke**

"Yeah, I am tryin' to tell you somethin'," Sano let out, sounding exasperated. Was this kid clueless or what.

"What I'm tryin' to say, is that if you do take a *big bite* of that truth you're talkin' about, you won't survive long enough to chew it." Sano had seen these idealistic types before. With them it was the honor and glory associated with being the sword of truth that turned them on, and kept them pressing forward, looking for whatever it was that kept their illusion going.

"Take my advice, if you value your life," the ex-op paused and ran a hand through his hair. "There's only one set of eyes that you really need to open. And that set belongs to you." Sano doubted his words would stick. Nope, they'd probably just fly over the kid's head as though they'd never been spoken.

**Eiji**

So there was something. And something big, that the government was hiding. Eiji chewed his bottom lip as he looked past the brick wall in thought. If it was that big that Eiji would choke on it, how many others who knew the truth would also choke? Would that kind of news really benefit the people? Not since with the current structure there was any way for people to change it. Rising up against governmental oppression was all well and good, but there was never a revolution won without violence and that was what he wanted to avoid.

Maybe he could ask Saitoh-san about it. And be redirected as usual. Geeze. He knew the cop was, in his own way, trying to save both their asses but this kind of hiding didn't sit well with Eiji. He wanted to know what was _really_going on. He wanted others to know what was really going on. But he didn't want himself or them to actually get murdered for it.

"I'll keep my eyes open, Sano-san," he said. Though that didn't mean he wasn't going to print anything. He just wasn't going to be stupid about it. There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, as someone had told him once. Remember to stay on the right side. Who had said that anyway? Not his own Dad. It couldn't have been. Well it didn't matter. He was spacing out again.

"Sorry for getting so serious," he said to the man. "You seem like a pretty decent guy, you know?" If a really mysterious one.

**Sanosuke**

Sano only nodded when the kid said that he would keep his eyes open, knowing that the reporter would need to do more than that, if he decided to publish something that would make the powers that be see red.

"There is never a reason to apologize for being serious," Sano responded. In his opinion a good dose of seriousness was exactly what every head-in-the-clouds idealist needed, this one included.

"Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but being 'decent' is relative, depending on which side you butter your bread, " even the worst pond scum that Meiji called 'public servants' thought of themselves as being 'decent'.

"Always remember the old saying, Mishima-san, 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. The same goes for people." Sano's face took a thoughtful expression, as if he were thinking of something in the past. "Be smart…be careful…and you might stay alive, but there is no guarantee," Sano's voice trailed off. Captain Sagara had been one of the smartest, bravest men that the ex-op had ever known, and look what happened to him.

**Eiji**

Can't judge a book by its cover? Geez. This Sano guy was definitely not a writer. Still, clichéd as that phrase was, it was practically the motto of his life. One of them. Nothing was ever as it seemed. For instance he'd never expect this guy to be so jaded and cynical just by looking at him. But then on the other hand he _did _live in New Meiji. He was also not incredibly reassuring for one who was giving advice. Another sign of a New Meiji native.

As the man trailed off, Eiji started to get the sense that there was something deeper about this guy. Some kind of dark and painful past-which was none of Eiji's business. He told himself this. Curiosity aside, his business was the truth, not prying into people's personal secrets.

"Well you don't have to worry about me," Eiji said, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm a reporter so I'm pretty observant." Not to mention smart...though that seemed kind of self-important to say.

**Sanosuke**

"Okay, kid, whatever you say," Sano replied in resignation. The kid was an idealist. Totally unaware of the far reaching, deadly reach of those that controlled New Meiji. From experience, his and that of others, Sano knew that this kid was the type that had to learn lessons the hard way, by himself, as a victim. It was regretful, but since Sano hadn't been able to get through to the young reporter, he really couldn't see any other way for Eiji to gain a correct perspective on the realities of life in New Meiji.

Sano cocked his head to the side and back again, looking around. Something was missing. "Mishima-san, where's the mutt?"

**Eiji**

This guy was a tough nut, wasn't he? Acted like he didn't even believe him. Well he didn't have to, Eiji supposed. After all, it wasn't as if Eiji was out to prove anything to him. He had to shake his head at the man's question.

"Chi is not a mutt. He's a pure bred oh shit where did go?" Eiji stared in horror, for a minute not even able to comprehend the empty collar. Oh man. Oh _man_. Not again! Crap!

"I am going to kill that dog," he said faintly. "I better go find him or Lee-san will turn me into glue. Um. Nice meeting you!" he said with a quick bow. "And thanks!"

**Sanosuke**

So the kid finally noticed the dog was missing. Sano doubted that Mishima was fast enough to catch whatever kind of dog he decided to chase, whether it be mutt or purebred.

Giving the area a quick visual scan, looking for movement, for a glimpse of a recognizable coat color, it wasn't long before the former mission specialist zeroed in on his target, who was just romping around the corner of a building on the next block.

Sano leaped into action, giving chase, his long legs flying over the pavement, almost as if he was carried by the wind. Making a beeline to where he'd last seen the animal, he whipped around the corner only to be confronted with a dog, nose in a fast food container from Bakufu Burgers trying to lick every drop of anything edible from the box.

Sano just stood there and laughed. The dog was busted by his stomach, reminding the man of the times when he'd let the need to find some grub cloud his thinking, too. "Party's over, bud." Slipping off his belt, Sano made a loop and put it around the dog's neck. Grabbing the end, using it as a short leash, he gave a little tug.

"Come on you -mutt, purebred or whatever you are. You got a kid waitin' on you who's terrified that he's gonna catch hell over your errant behavior, if somebody named Lee-san finds out about this."

With that, Sano returned to where he'd left the newspaper kid, hoping the kid was still there, 'cause the last thing Sano needed was to dog-sit for the rest of the day.

**Eiji**

Holy hell, he could motor! Eiji watched the tall guy suddenly start to book it, putting up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. He was probably the most perfect sprinter Eiji had seen, his feet didn't even seem to touch the ground but they must have for a sod of dirt went flying from his path. How the hell could he get that kind of speed unless-

Was he possibly-?

Eiji fumbled his phone from his pocket and quickly took notes in English. "Sano" 5'7"-5-8". 25yrs old? Jpns. brwn/brwn. He peeked at Sano who had gotten the belt around Chi's neck, hastily saved the message to the phone and pushed it back in his pocket. He'd e-mail Saitoh-san about it later.

The funny thing was, Sano seemed sober enough and maybe Eiji was just seeing things or imagining things. He wasn't much of an athlete. But he'd definitely keep this Sano guy on file if his name cropped up. Eiji grinned as Sano came closer with Chi in tow. He snatched up the dog's collar and put it back around his neck, the wolfhound giving him a sad little 'sorry' face.

"Thanks for that," Eiji said, patting Chi's head to let him know he wasn't too mad. "You really saved me. Anything I can do to pay you back?" _And possibly snuff out what it is you are exactly?_

**Sanosuke**

Sano was relieved to see that Mishima was still in the same area where he last saw him. The ex-op really didn't feel like executing a search and retrieve mission, looking for an errant news reporter.

It was nice that the guy offered to lend Sano a hand, if he needed one, but the older man figured that if he and Mishima ever met up again, it would probably be the kid who needed help.

"Glad that I could help. Thanks for the offer kid, but the best thing you can do for me is to stay out of trouble and don't mix roller blades with dog walking. I'm not always gonna to be around to save your butt."

With that, Sano nodded his head and continued on his way at a brisk jog, determined to finish his fitness routine that was unexpectedly interrupted.

**Eiji**

"Yeah sure. Uh Thanks! Again..." He finished the last in a murmur as the guy was already jogging away. Slower this time. Hmm. Definitely someone to keep an eye on. Chi licked his hand and gave him a sorrowful look. Eiji patted his head.

"Good boy," Eiji said. After all, if it wasn't for Chi, Eiji wouldn't have ran into such an interesting guy. Saitoh-san would definitely want to know about this. However, Eiji wouldn't tell him unless Saitoh-san started talking some first. Ha. This was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Well, dog," Eiji said, grinning after the jogger. "It looks like we're in business."


End file.
